Saint Patrick’s Breastplate

Saint Patrick’s family were Roman Catholic churchmen from the Roman Imperial province of Britannia. Yet, today, nobody is going to go around speaking in fake Latin and wearing a toga and sandals, oh no. But I’ll bet you a shiny shamrock that you’ll run into at least one person affecting a fake Irish brogue.

Today is a day in America where we eat immigrant food and pretend it’s Irish, where most folks have their only Guinness of the year, and where everybody wears the most garish colour green imaginable.

What has this to do with Patrick?

First of all, as I said, he wasn’t even Irish. He was a Roman Briton, born in the late 4th or early 5th century. His father was a deacon, and he was something of a wild child.

That all ended when, as a teenager, he was kidnapped and sold into slavery by Irish raiders. He spent many years as a slave – a shepherd in the north of Ireland – until he escaped from captivity, inspired by the vision of an Angel.

He went to the continent and became a monk and was ordained. As a bishop, he asked to go back to Ireland – to the very people who had enslaved him – to preach the Gospel and convert the people. And convert them he did.

In thirty years he covered Ireland with churches and monasteries, and in AD 444 he founded the metropolitan see of Armagh. According to tradition, he died 17 March 493.

No leprechauns. No brogue. No corned beef and cabbage. Patrick was a Roman Catholic Bishop, appointed by the Pope for Ireland.

So if you insist on walking around speaking in a silly fake accent, at least do it with the words of the Saint:

I bind unto myself today
The strong Name of the Trinity,
By invocation of the same,
The Three in One and One in Three.

I bind this day to me for ever.
By power of faith, Christ’s incarnation;
His baptism in the Jordan river;
His death on Cross for my salvation;
His bursting from the spicèd tomb;
His riding up the heavenly way;
His coming at the day of doom;*
I bind unto myself today.

I bind unto myself the power
Of the great love of the cherubim;
The sweet ‘well done’ in judgment hour,
The service of the seraphim,
Confessors’ faith, Apostles’ word,
The Patriarchs’ prayers, the Prophets’ scrolls,
All good deeds done unto the Lord,
And purity of virgin souls.

I bind unto myself today
The virtues of the starlit heaven,
The glorious sun’s life-giving ray,
The whiteness of the moon at even,
The flashing of the lightning free,
The whirling wind’s tempestuous shocks,
The stable earth, the deep salt sea,
Around the old eternal rocks.

I bind unto myself today
The power of God to hold and lead,
His eye to watch, His might to stay,
His ear to hearken to my need.
The wisdom of my God to teach,
His hand to guide, His shield to ward,
The word of God to give me speech,
His heavenly host to be my guard.

Against the demon snares of sin,
The vice that gives temptation force,
The natural lusts that war within,
The hostile men that mar my course;
Or few or many, far or nigh,
In every place and in all hours,
Against their fierce hostility,
I bind to me these holy powers.

Against all Satan’s spells and wiles,
Against false words of heresy,
Against the knowledge that defiles,
Against the heart’s idolatry,
Against the wizard’s evil craft,
Against the death wound and the burning,
The choking wave and the poisoned shaft,
Protect me, Christ, till Thy returning.

Christ be with me, Christ within me,
Christ behind me, Christ before me,
Christ beside me, Christ to win me,
Christ to comfort and restore me.
Christ beneath me, Christ above me,
Christ in quiet, Christ in danger,
Christ in hearts of all that love me,
Christ in mouth of friend and stranger.

I bind unto myself the Name,
The strong Name of the Trinity;
By invocation of the same.
The Three in One, and One in Three,
Of Whom all nature hath creation,
Eternal Father, Spirit, Word:
Praise to the Lord of my salvation,
Salvation is of Christ the Lord.

Amen.